136 



Royal Astronomical Society. 



After a great many trials I at last fixed upon a parabolic orbit, 

 which appears to represent the observations with as much, or nearly 

 as much, accuracy as they admit. It would be manifestly a hope- 

 less business to attempt any determination of the particular conic 

 section described by the comet, from positions extending over so 

 short a period, and at the same time so rough. Should the comet 

 reappear, the observations of 1590 will be in a more tangible form 

 than heretofore." 



Parabolic Elements. 



Passage through Perihelion, 1590, Feb. 8-0624, Uraniburg Mean Time, 

 New Style. 



Longitude of Perihelion on theorbit 217 57 12 ■» App. Eq. 



Ascending Node 165 56 56/ March 10. 



Inclination to the Ecliptic 29 29 44 



Log. distance in Perihelion 9*7541386 



Heliocentric motion. Retrograde. 



" These elements, compared with the above longitudes and la- 

 titudes, give the following diiFerences : — 



Computed — Observed Place. 



March 5 Long. + 34" Lat. — 75" 



6 +38 



7 — 23 +160 



8 —126 + 91 



10 + 75 —346 



11 +29 +5 



12 - 10 +106 



13 - 95 + 6 



14 +8 +3 

 16 +69 —272 



" The comet of 1590 is described by Martin Mylius in his Annates 

 Gorlicenses, published as part of a work entitled Scripto7-es Rerum 

 Lusaticorum, Lipsire et Budissse, 1719, in folio. It was also the 

 subject of a treatise by Matthias Menius, printed in 1591. Lu- 

 bienietski, in his great work Ttieatrum Cometicum, gives us a chart 

 showing the path of the comet in the heavens : he quotes llicciolus 

 and other writers." 



